Thursday, September 27, 2012

Investing in Commercial Real Estate

When most people think of real estate investment, they think of rental homes and apartments. However, current economic conditions make rental real estate riskier than ever. Even good honest tenants are subject to losing their jobs and being unable to pay rent. Furthermore, declining property values and rising taxes and insurance negatively impact profit potential.

Commercial real estate investment offers an attractive alternative to residential real estate. Leases are long-term and the checks are less likely to bounce. There are two basic types of commercial real estate investments: direct and indirect.

In direct commercial real estate investment, you purchase one or more business buildings. This option requires a large amount of capital and offers little liquidity. As the owner, you will be responsible for management and maintenance issues.

Office buildings and manufacturing facilities usually provide long-term tenants and greater stability than retail establishments. But if you need your money, you have to find a buyer for the building. And again, you will have tax and insurance issues.

Novice investors have been burned by hidden environmental problems or zoning issues, so make sure to seek the advice of an attorney knowledgeable in commercial real estate issues.

Indirect real estate investments allow the smaller investor to enjoy the benefits of commercial real estate with fewer disadvantages. Funds from many investors are pooled and used for commercial investments. The fund's directors hire managers and address maintenance issues. Furthermore, shares in the fund can be sold at will, improving investors' liquidity.

There are many options in indirect real estate investments.

You can consider the pros and cons of various investment types. For example, you may decide that America's aging population makes medical building investments a "sure thing". On the other hand, concerns about national health insurance issues leading to restrictive regulations in the medical industry may lead you to look elsewhere for investment opportunities.

The global marketplace makes it possible to invest in real estate anywhere in the world. However, differing regulations and politics may increase risk. On the other hand, rapid growth and profit potential may make the risks worth taking.

Like most investments, the costs of real estate investment shares have dropped considerably. However, the returns are still excellent compared to other investments. And the real estate investors' mantra "They're not making any more land" is as true as ever.

You can go online to research major real estate investment funds. Maybe you can find the perfect commercial real estate investment to meet your financial goals.

It does not matter how many commercial real estate deals an investor goes through, they always have an established process that they utilize every single time to assure they cover all their bases and increase the likelihood of a great investment. Synergy has a lot of meaning in the commercial real estate market. By utilizing synergy of process and assets one can realize huge results and profits by making minor adjustments to strategy. Those minor adjustments can often mean the difference between success and failure.